The present invention relates to security of data storage mediums having software thereon and, more particularly, to such data storage mediums having invisible ink for storing a security code for permitting access to the stored software.
Various amusing computer games software have been developed for home video games of which various games can be played by changing CD ROMs. Such video games are very popular for amusement. Sometimes, the supply of popular game software does not catch up with the demand, and CD-ROMs caring games software are trading at high prices. Counterfeits of such CD ROMs are continually been discovered.
Producers of games software have made various security systems to prohibit counterfeiting of games software which is the fruit of development by producers with considerable amounts of investment of time, money and effort.
One such security system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,034,930. In this system, a trademark containing embedded data is placed on the CD-ROM. A sensor reads the embedded data and compares it with reference data previously stored in the game unit. If the data matches, the software program is initialized for operation, and if there is not a match, operation of the software program is prohibited.
Although the above-described method and apparatus are satisfactory, it includes drawbacks. For instance, it is sometimes desirable for commercial reasons not to include a trademark, or any of the visual indication, on the surface of the CD-ROM. Consequently, a need exists for security mechanisms which do not utilize visual indications.
The need is met according to the present invention by providing a data recording element, comprising (a) a data recording medium and a recording medium support; (b) data recorded on the data recording medium; and (c) a unique ID corresponding to the data on the recording medium, recorded on the recording medium support.